Liquid gauge



Mmh 16,1926. y z1,577,209

M. F. ELLIOTT I LIQUIDGAUGE Fille'd August 27, 1924 Patented Mar. 16, 1.926.

i' *unirme gsrerES Mun-Ania' F. numeri, or zxtivrmnnnwfunnsa.

merino einen applicationieiaiaagusnzafieze. veser-iaiinwrental.

To all whom it may concern: f

A.= Be '-itglrnownthat fLfMiLLARD il?. Enum, a Citizen .o;tlre;Unite'cl fStatesfairdza :resident offlalnlyra, .county .ofi Bi1rli1igton,aird-tate of zNeW Jersey, f have .fini/rented f c'ertain new and use'ul `Improvements.in LiquidI Ganges, of which :the 'follow-ing -is i a /;--specitieation, reference being had tto :ithe acconipanying draw-ing.

: MyL invention :relates f lto means rter f determiningfzthe :height of: liquid columns f'avithin enclosed'spaces and `:more particnl-arlyfthe height of liquid vcolumns in gauge fglasses such fas zare customarily :attached to 1steam boilers; ,tanks-:and 'the like.

. A @principaly object of rniyv invention fis Lto provide meansifor enhancing the yavis'ihility ,of the liquid colunrnzin agaiugeglass vor enbstantially similar device :iso :as :nto fremder the fcelumn muchnnoredistinetly'visible Vthan Would be the case in thevahsencemf such means. Y. Y c c c fnrther lohjeet of #the f invention is .fto provideameans in the-,naturewotf afiseltfeontained fxvhichzzniayfhe @easily inserted :in ;or removed f :troni ian ordinary gauge @glass randwvvhich Whenpositioned therenris eiecti-ve -to enhance thevisibility of-.theliquidcolumn.Y

.1A .f still iurth'er object; of :the invention is to provide-,means A:adapted 'ffor association with: an ;or.di1fia'ry @gauge glass fand tavhich, when! infsuch assoiatiemoarefeffective; to enhance the fdiiierence `in appearance,.Landv create a greater contrast'between,1theiiquid and :airrcoln-inns in the glass 'than exvould 4other-.Wise he the Gasen said :means fbein'g off such nature as `Lto perniitrtheir lnianufactnre `,as :separate nnits adapted :iter kinsertion :in

garigeeglasses ofoorcli-nary .eonstrnction and which, :when utilized .zin econj-nnction Vthere- -Witln will: in eno Wise interfere.v Witlr theoretinary f operation of the -,6'lass, will theientirely contained jtherein :so as ato he protected ifrorn i injury-wor: liabilitywof l breakage and Which may be manufacturedzand.v sold-aat a-relatively low cost. y

1 My `invention 'further -yincludes allI aofsthe other obj ects and novel featnres of; construction and arrangement 1 to which .:reierence `may hereinafter he :made or `which :inafy' .be apparent- 1 from the :aecoinpanying 4 :drawing forming:apartfshereot e Intlie said' drawing Ehavefillnstnatediene embodiment, `tot ,i my'i' invention, Fig. i l 2 heilig azfnontelevatiorrioga gageiglassrontaining .one of fsalidnnits. aFsifg. Q is fanfianial longitudinal :section of gan-ge fglass tube with none oftlieonnits positioned thereinfthe tube Afleeing removed ifroinnthe fittings hy 1 Wihieh iitgis operativelyattaehedftoethe boiler ontheilfiliegrFig.ris 4transverse:sectionen lineV 3+3 `in eFig. 22; e g. 514i.' is :5an.-;enlanged transversefsectonftlironghthe ninit removed 'fiiomrtli'e'wtanhe, :and Figs is a det ail; side ele- -ization :illustrating `fthe f arrangement r of .the .fsuppcortingvtlange fo'fthe holder. rlhe saine fnnmeralsiaize @used-L to designate similari-parts jin ithe z several iignres.

Ree1zring noW incre ip'articularly. to athe drawing,y` the :gauge 4glass* tuhe =1 therein -shovvni :isiofeondinaryi construction and .is snp- ;ported iatfits endsin couplings for :unions 12, 2 forniiingiparts of :'ii'ittings/S, *3; :adapted i for attaolnnent fito ea igboileraor the ielike, hand Wheeis f4", Ehe-ing :arrangedztol operateksuitz'able .valves in each1 iittingE to. enable theftiow .fof iliquidinto @the tube Lto "fbe cont-rolled Las desired As'.tlieeseveral:partelhithertofment'lonedareiof We'll'linovvn-forin andseonetnnc- .tiondetailed ldescription thereof ivoiild be 1snperfinons.

Infzattaining the objectsof any :invention II'insertnnto the tube 51 ofi thefga-nge glass ia innitzot the construotien `now-' totheY described fandwwiiieh is'loest f shown iniFigs. Zito 14,2 inz-clnsifve This f unfit coinqorises an elongated heldere preterably of sheet .metal which is` bent or ifoizine'd so: as to exhibitasubstan- Ltialfl'v VlfseiniL-'cirenlar #cross Yseetion ywhereby `-theiholderpresents a: substantiallytronghed shape along iitsilongitndinal direction and a concafveesnrace.Lon itslinner face. Gen- `ivenientllyfthe fnialterial of :which fthe' helder is inade may be of black or other darkcolor or in Lease fthef'holder be formed .-of cop-per, hrasszor .the'li'kewvliieh is ofIanaturally'light oolor, ithe aholdfer nnay bhe -art'ificia'illy black- .,enedfaorf-darkened iii-:any sr'ifitalole Way either face G, that is, upon its face which is furthest removed from the surface 5 and is provided with one or more longitudinally extending ribs or prisms 7 on its opposite or rear face, that is, the face adjacent the concave surface 5 ot the holder. l/Vhile the holderI and the bar may be united in any convenient way I prefer to provide the sides of the bar with longitudinally extending notches or grooves 8 and to bend the edges of the strip thereinto as best shown in Fig. 4 so as to firmly grip the strip and secure the parts firmly together.

In order to prevent the unit from slipping vertically downward in the gauge glass tube when inserted therein, I may turn one end, which in practice will form the upper end, of the holder slightly outwardly so as to form a narrow horizontally extending flange 9 adapted to rest on the upper end of the gauge glass tube and thus support the unit vertically therein, but, if desired, other means for accomplishing this function may be utilized. It will be understood that the curvature oit the holder will ordinarily be determined in conformity with that of the gauge glass tube in which the unit is intended for insertion and that the holder and glass strip will be so proportioned that the unit may be readily slid into the tube to assume a position therein in which the outer surface of the holder will rest against or adjacent the inner surface ot the tube and the iront tace 6 of the strip be disposed slightly in advance of an axial plane symmetrically disposed with respect to the holder as best shown in Fig. 3.

In practice, in order to adapt the units to any particular length of gauge glass and to facilitate their assembly therewith, the units may be made in a series oi standard lengths of suflicient extent to cover all the lengths of gauge glasses ordinarily encountered but of course in special cases a unit of excessive length may be suitably cut off to any length desired in order to satisfy a non-standard requirement. It will thus be understood that in commercial practice the gauge glasses may be supplied complete with the units therein assembled and in association with the ordinary fittings ior attaching the glass to a boiler or the like or that the units may be sold separately for insertion in gauge glasses of ordinary construction so as to thereby form an operative combination therewith.

The operation ot the invention may be described as follows: The unit being assembled in a gauge glass with the front or plane face 6 turned outward or toward the position of an observer looking at the glass trom the position in which the saine is custrnnarily read and the valves heilig opened to permit the liquid column to seek its level in the glass, a strongly contrasting effect will be observed between the body of the liquid column and the space thereabove, the column, in the case ot' a transparent liquid suc-h as water, appearing black or nearly black and the space above the column being illuminated and presenting a White or nearly White aspect. rlhis contrast between the air and liquid columns is most pronounced and extends over a wide angle of visibility approximating 900 on either side of an axial plane perpendicular to the plane :tace G of the glass bar, thus enabling the height of the liquid column to be easily read from almost any position in front of the gauge glass.

I am aware that it has been proposed to employ reflectors, colored stripes and the like in association with gauge glasses for the purpose of magnifying, illuminating or otherwise increasing the visibility of the liquid column but so :tar as I am aware all of the said devices and expedientes have been open to prac-tical objections, and furthermore that, irrespective ot such objections, the results attained by their use are not commensurate with those which I am able to produce in accordance with my invention.

It will furthermore be noted that a unit such as I have herein described may be inserted in any standard gauge glass now in use without in any "ay modifying or altering its construction with and that when so inserted the unit is entirely self contained within the tube of the glass and thereby protected from injury.

lll/Thilo I have herein described with some particularity a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not thereby desire or intend to limit myself to any precise details of construction or arrangement of parts as the same are capable of modification in various particulars should such modification be deemed advantageous or desirable without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. An article ol' manufacture adapted for insertion in a gauge glass tube and comprising an elongated holder curved in cross section and provided with a supporting :flange for resting upon the upper end of the tube and supporting the said article in position in the tube, and a strip of transparent material mounted in the holder, that face of the strip adjacent the holder beingl provided with a plurality of prisms extending longitudinally of the strip.

9,. An article of manufacture adapted for insertion in a gauge glass tube and comprising an elongated holder curved in cross section to conform to the configuration of and fitting against the interior of the tube, said holder having its upper end bent outwardly forming a horizontal supporting flange for resting upon the upper end of the tube and a strip of transparent material disposed across the openV side of the holder, that face of the strip adjacent the holder being pro- Y vided With a plurality-of prisms lextending longitudinally of the strip, each side of the strip being provided 'with a groove and the longitudinal edges of the holder being disposed therein vvhereby the strip is mainta-ined in fixed relation -With the holder.

In `Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of August, 1924.

MILLARD F. ELLIOTT; 

